This invention relates to methods and apparatus for advertising, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for the distribution of advertisements to consumers.
Advertising is a nonpersonal form of communication conducted through paid media under clear sponsorship having a purpose of informing, persuading or reminding target buyers or publics of the sponsor's goods, services or goodwill. A sponsor's ultimate goal is that an advertisement result in the sales of the sponsor's goods or services. To have the desired effect advertiser's typically tailor their advertisement to a target consumer group--consumers likely to desire or have need of the goods or services. The advertiser also selects a distribution media through which such targeted consumer group is likely to be exposed to the advertisement.
In defining the target consumer group and the method of distribution it is common to use consumer demographics. Demographics are characteristics of human populations and population segments. A population can be segmented by such demographics. Common examples are age, sex, income, race, nationality, religion, address, level of education, occupation, and number of children. Other demographics include hobbies, interests, credit history, travel history, and past purchasing history. There are many others ways in which populations can be analyzed to identify population segments that may be appropriate for an advertiser to target.
Once an advertiser has selected a target consumer group and prepared an advertisement for such group, the advertisement needs to be delivered to such group. Thus, magazines tailored for specific consumer groups are a popular means for a sponsor to reach their target group. Another means is by direct mail. The advertising industry has matured to the point of buying and selling mailing lists of people having specific demographic attributes. In addition, large clearinghouse lists of many consumers are easily formed using today's electronic media. A sponsor may purchase information for a list of consumers meeting desired demographic attributes and then send their advertisement to all such consumers. The more consumers that fit the desired demographic, the more likely that a sale will result from an advertisement to such consumers.
This sale of mailing lists and compilation of consumer information is beneficial to the sponsor, but is a challenge to the notion of consumer privacy. As listed above, one can readily obtain a person's credit history, income level, and purchase history. It is a real concern that the same data can be used for unscrupulous, illegal, or undesired purposes (e.g., to coerce, defraud, or investigate a specific individual). It is when such lists are used to find information on a specific individual that privacy becomes severely challenged. Accordingly, there is a need for advertisers to be able to reach target consumers within a system which protects consumer privacy.